Dashnor Kaloçi
The fourth part
Memorie.al publishes an archival document issued by the Central State Archive in Tirana (Fund of the former Central Committee of the ALP), where the discussion of Enver Hoxha held at the meeting of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the ALP on February 23, 1973, where the main cadres of the highest forum of the organization of the Albanian Working Youth Union, chaired by Agim Mero, the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Albanian Working Youth Union, were also invited. that Enver ordered to be called urgently to that meeting. Enver Hoxha’s full speech at that meeting where he for the first time analyzed all the “problems of youth” and “its education”, with art, culture, literature, cinema, books, libraries, homes and culture, stocks, discounts, volunteer work, etc. As well as the problems that had emerged and appeared in some young people, with fashion, foreign shows, modernist influences, etc.
“I believe that there is no house of culture, where there are no different musical instruments, many of which are produced inside, are also brought from abroad, and that all together have helped a lot for the entertainment and education of the youth. In this area, there is a great development, a great progress has been made everywhere. The youth have these tools in their hands, which we see in Estrada and at festivals. This is a great pleasure, then why underestimate it? Needed even more, there is no doubt that yes, and efforts should be made for this, but to darken the issue and say that the shepherds who spend the summer in the mountains of Lenia and Gramoz do not have a radio or there is no film, that is to speak in the wind. Any shepherd can very well buy a battery-powered radio, if he wants, because there is a day in the market and his work is bigger than the others and not to be expected that the state will do everything. Friends of the youth, you are looking for many special clubs for the youth in the cities and this, wherever possible, let it be done, but as far as I know these are also built, equipped with everything, even billiards, yes then they closed because they departed from the purpose for which they were raised. ”
This was stated, among others, by Enver Hoxha in his speech at the meeting of the secretariat of the Central Committee of the ALP on February 23, 1973, where the main cadres of the high forum of the organization of the Youth Working Union were invited. Albania, which at that time was headed by Agim Mero. This meeting of the secretariat of the Central Committee of the ALP, took place only shortly after the 11th Song Festival on Radio-Television and the speech of Enver Hoxha held on January 9 of that year in the office of the Presidium of the People’s Assembly of Albania, where he spoke for the first time against “liberal attitudes and foreign performances in art and culture” and their impact on the whole life of the country. For more about this, the document in question introduces us to the discussion of Enver Hoxha that Memorie.al publishes in full since this issue.
Continues from the last number
Discussion of Enver Hoxha in the meeting of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the ALP, on February 23, 1973
Therefore, not to say the opinion, based on the fact that this issue was seen by a friend of the Party. This is not once, but ten times heavier. In this regard, the great importance of communist courage to fight flaws must be understood as everyone thinks. Discussion and debate reveal the truth. You know what people say, more friends? “Why does Comrade Enver raise these issues and not the other comrades in leadership?” They say that they are good people, but naive. They do not understand that it is not true that only I can grasp these matters; they raise all the comrades of the leadership. I, as the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party, make their generalization based on the problems raised by the leadership, the Party and the social opinion, these are raised by our struggle as an objective need for the full construction of socialism in Albania. Some even raise this issue with bad intentions to imply that other fellow leaders are not worthless. This distorted representation of reality is one of the most dangerous issues.
Let us not be deceived when someone says: “It is very good that we have Comrade Enver!” Your young people do not lack courage, but do not underestimate the capacity, thoughts and culture you have. When I spoke at the Presidium of the People’s Assembly, the song festival on Radio-Television was over. We, here, together with friends, had long had expressed thoughts about this festival and had condemned its bad sides. But, during this time, I received many letters from the youth, which not only reinforced our thoughts that we had crystallized for the festival, but also made us understand that our youth is not in those positions that can eat any food they can. give some people clothed with authority. The reasoning presented in these letters was very sound and fair! I found the case in the Presidium of the People’s Assembly and, taking cue from the issue being considered there, I spoke about the problems that are known.
This healthy attitude of the youth of our country was also expressed in the pages of the newspaper “Voice of Youth”, in the wide discussion that took place at this time for the 11th Song Festival on Radio-Television, as well as for beauty and culture in our life and art ”, which was attended by young people from different professions from all over the country, not to mention the shortcomings of friends, especially Agim Meros, which should reflect more, why until recently he had been the first secretary of the Central Committee of the BRPSH and today is the rector of the university. Here, in this regard, there are some contradictions that can be thought to highlight the revolutionary situation on the rise, but these performances do not simply have this character, so the slogan of the revolutionary rise, mentioned in this case, should not lie to us. We are constantly improving the living standards of the people, education and culture are expanding, setting up every day from all side’s new schools and cultural institutions, in our shops the citizen has something to buy, etc., then why steal, robberies and some other ugly shows? Therefore, let us dig deeper in these directions to find the true causes. It is imperative that the Party treat ideologically well the shows that have arisen as a result of liberal attitudes and where they originate, that such bad behaviors come both by blindly copying from the outside world and by distorting the Party line.
It is necessary to fight persistently, in the first place, against philosophical anti-Marxist views which are brought from outside and treated here and there in the corners, and in any case, they must be treated deeply and those who propagandize and openly defend them must be dealt with. or secretly in the field of art, of culture, in our daily lives. And then our brave youth, who have never lacked courage, will become clear and, when confronted with such views, will be able to refute a wrong view or a literary or artistic work that is not worthwhile., will judge for himself and will have the courage to oppose anything that does not fit into the Party line which is distorted by some people. The party has the task of educating all employees and the youth masses in order to constantly increase the revolutionary vigilance against the great danger posed by the constant imperialist-revisionist pressure on our country and the activity of the enemies of the class. No one is allowed to take this war lightly, to live in euphoria; even some preparation calculated by the imperialists and revisionists for even more aggravated and aggressive actions against socialist Albania.
The youth, who, by their nature and age, for their inexperience, are the object of this great ideological pressure by the enemies, who at all costs constantly try and will try to put it, should not take this war especially lightly. the younger generation as opposed to the older generation. You, Comrade First Secretary of the Central Youth Committee, in your discussion mentioned the work you will do on a number of issues. Very good for what you will do, but I advise you not to enjoy talking in general terms about the directives that have been issued by the Party. When you say, “We have to put our finger on the wound,” really put your finger on the wound, fairly, without being harsh or liberal. Explain to those young people with disabilities where to take these and advise them to get on the right track. If one does not correct oneself with the individual work of the peers and with what has been done in the organization, criticize it before the measure; if he still does not understand, then other measures of an educational nature should be taken. I do not believe that the Party organization, that of the youth and all the other levers, have remained silent without speaking against foreign performances, but the bad thing is that more general words have been said about them, things have not been laid out, therefore and the results are not satisfactory.
I said above that we have to do this war in tight turns. This means that every communist, whether a young patriot, should always keep in mind that we build socialism in the conditions of the imperialist-revisionist blockade. But this fact is often underestimated and it is remembered that the blockade can be faced without sacrifices. Such a wrong view is expressed even in the requests that are made, without basis and without criteria, whatever the state does, it appears in the omissions that are noticed not only in the ideological and moral field, but also in the economy. It is a fact that in our work centers, in the village, in schools and everywhere, work discipline is not always at the right height, often poor-quality products are produced, norms are exceeded because these are not based, it is learned how much to get a grade of 5 or 6, and so on. And it often happens that the voice against these negative phenomena is raised a little, little is demanded, while, if there is nothing in the market, they do not fail to write about it even to the Central Committee or the Government. For there to be an abundant market, we must first produce in abundance ourselves. Then the Party has always stressed that to be ready for any surprise, in addition to regular market supply, we also need reserves. But how do we create these? Only by conscious work, by a strong proletarian state discipline, by making a simpler life and not by giving up and ushering the inclinations to satisfy the micro-bourgeois luxury of some.
We must therefore work better for the education of workers, cooperatives, intelligence and youth with our communist worldview. We must establish everywhere a strict discipline in production and in every work based on a sound proletarian education. This is how the liberalism that appears in a thousand cases will be fought. The struggle against foreign influences and performances, the struggle for the revolutionary education of the masses, especially the youth, must always be carried out according to the teachings of the Party, without resorting to extremism. Let us all keep this in mind, otherwise, any reckless or hasty action will be used by the enemy to speculate, interpreting the right revolutionary ideological, political, administrative and economic measures taken by the Party, as restrictions, as repressions and as if the situation in our country is not healthy. Friends need to think, deepen and reflect well on these problems, because only then will they be able to make the right criticisms of the weaknesses they find. But criticism should not come only from above, they should come especially from below, because criticism from above, in addition to the very good sides they have, as it reflects the greater political experience of fellow leaders, who have the opportunity to have in hands given a lot from different sources, etc., also has its downsides, because those people who make mistakes and are criticized only from above, can be hygienic as victims in the eyes of others.
The party and its leadership demand that thoughts about anyone be expressed openly, so that people be purified, as it were, spiritually, and that such a situation be created where one criticizes rightly, feels happy, and creates in the criticized. not the feeling of anger and revenge, but the great love, in the first place, for the whole Party and its leadership. If we achieve this goal, we will have reaped a great victory. In this regard we have to work hard, otherwise we will not achieve what the Party aims for and what would be achieved would be the formal fulfillment of its lofty goals, a dubious respect, which the Communist Party does not need. I believe that I am allowed to raise an issue here at the meeting of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Party, before I tell it to Fadil Paçrami himself. I was informed that when the meeting of writers and artists took place, to analyze the shortcomings of the work with a critical eye, Paçrami stood up and, in a non-communist way, in front of all those who attended the meeting, said: “I have none responsibility for the festival. The Central Committee of the Party is responsible for this, because Radio-Television is a central institution”!
When I heard these words, I remembered the attack on the Party and its leadership by the Yugoslav Trotskyists at the Tirana Party Conference. I do not accuse Fadil Paçrami of being a Trotskyist, nor of being a Yugoslav man, but it turns out that he is a person who is not fulfilling his great responsibilities. He is the secretary of the Tirana Party Committee, which deals with propaganda. How is it possible that Fadil has no responsibility for those shows of liberalism that have appeared in Tirana? Fadil Paçrami accuses the comrades of the Central Committee of the Party that they are supposedly conservatives! No, the communist should not judge and speak like that. He must stand straight in front of the responsibilities and mistakes he has. The party will fix the situation, it will fix the people. These words must be deeply understood and must be constantly considered by all the comrades of the Party and by the youth, which is the future of the Party, the one who will take the baton. The purer and bolder our youth, the more eternal will be the work of the Party. We must always keep our conscience clean, as we do every day to keep our home and body clean, so we must work tirelessly to achieve that the people and the Party see that the strength lies in themselves, in the straight line of the Party, in the people, in the cadres of the center and the base, in the collegial leadership, in the unity of thought and action.
Having said all this, after reprimanding some of our comrades, youth leaders, I again want to emphasize that, no matter how they present these problems by their form or content, neither we comrades of the Party nor we are allowed to those of the Government, neither the comrades in power at the grassroots, nor the leaders of economic enterprises, to ignore the demands of the youth, or not to take them seriously, but to make efforts to implement the decisions. Therefore, to agree with the proposal of the youth in the districts, for these issues, to meet the executive committee and other officials around the bureau of the Party committee and there, the youth comrades to formulate strongly and correctly their opinions on these matters, to discuss , to take decisive decisions and to feel that the decisions of the Central Committee of the Party, the Government and the Central Committee of the Working Youth Union itself are implemented and put in place. /Memorie.al
